Automobile gear-shift.



M. S. CURTIS.

AUTOMOBILE GEAR SHIFT. APPLICATION FILED JULY 1o, 1914.

Patented M3119, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

/N l/E N TOR ATTORNEY M. S. CURTIS.

AUTOMOBILE GEAR SHIFT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1914.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Amm/VH WIT/VESSES.

[ 7 fig/w M. S. CURTIS.

AUTOMOBILE GEAR SHIFT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

1,1 31 042, atented. Mar. 9, 1915.

TTOHNEV M. S. CURTIS.

'AUTOMOBILE GEAR SHIFT. APPLIQATION FILED JULY 1o, 1914.

Patented Mar. 9, 191.5.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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E Q Y UH O .WL H u WITNESSES:

man A ORA/EY A MYRON S. CURTIS, OF PAWTUGKET, RHODE ISLAND.

AUTOMOBILE GEAR-SHIFT.

Specification of Letters Ratent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.,

Application led July 10, 1914. Serial No. 850,165.

To all whom it` may concern Be it lmown that I, MrnoN S. CURTIS, of

Pawtucket, in the county of Providence, and

in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Automobile Gear-Shifts, and do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to transmission gearing and such gearin as adaptedmore particularly to automo iles for changing the speed, and in its bestform my invention affords the advantages of mechanical simplicity sothat the mechanism is easily and cheaply manufactured and not easy to beput out of order; impossibility of changing the gear connections unlessthe clutch between the motor and the transmission is disengaged so thatdanger of stripping gears is obviated; ability for the selection of thedesired change in advance of the time of making the change so that thedriver is able to repare in advance for hills, crowded tra c, etc.,andthe employment of a single lever, preferably a foot lever foroperating the clutch and, causing the shifting of the gears so that onecontinuous motion instead of several disconnected motions is requiredand, by the use of the foot lever for the operation both hands are leftfree for manipulating the steering wheel.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, with parts insection, of a driving mechanism of a motor car embodying one form of myinvention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig.3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detailview on a larger scale partly in elevation and partly in section of theshipping mechanism; Fig. 5 is a detail end viewV thereof; Fig. 6 is adetail section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a detail plan viewof the steering wheel and the speed-changing handle and index; Fig. 8 isa view similar to Fig. 1 showing a different embodiment of my invention.

The motor 10 shown is of the usual construction having al frictionclutch 11 by which the transmission shaft l2 may be clutched andunclutchedfrom the engine, the cone of the friction clutch beingyieldingly moved to and held in clutching engagement by a coil spring 13and moved in the opposite direction by means of a lever 14: which isactuated by a treadle l5 havinga cam 16 that directly engages the lever14, the cam serving first to release the clutch and to hold it inunclutching position during a further movement of the treadle forproducing the shipging of the gears to change the speed. uch movement ofthe gears may be produced by power derived from the engine, as in theembodiment of my invention shown in Fig. l, or in the construction shownin Fig. 8, the driver by the pressure of his foot upon the treadleefects the shipping of the gear, all as more particularly describedhereinafter.

` On the end of the transmission shaft 12 is a clutch gear 16 from whichpower, either directly or indirectly through the change gears isimparted to the shaft 17 which alines with the shaft 12 and which, asusual, is conected with the rear wheels on the car to impart the drivingpower'thereto. Slidably mounted on the shaft 17 is a clutch gear 18which is adapted to be engaged with the clutch of the gear 16 for thedirect driving of the shaft 17, or to be disengaged therefrom for theindirect driving of the lshaft 17. The clutch gear 16 meshes with a gear19 on the counter shaft 2O and keyed to the counter shaft 2O are amedium s eed gear 21 and a slow speed gear 22. he clutch gear 18 isshiftable into engagement with the medium speed gear 21. For thetransmission of power to the shaft 17 from the slow speed gear 20 aslidable gear 23 is mounted on the shaft 17. Also on the counter shaft20 is a reverse gear 24 meshing with an idler gear 25 with which thegear 23 meshes.

The hub of the gear 18 has an annular groove which receives a yoke 26having a radial pin, or stud 27 which is engaged by one end of ashipping lever 28 and the hub of the gear 23 is similarly engaged by ayoke 29 having a radial pin or stud 30 which is engaged by one end of ashipping lever 31 so that by the vibration of these levers said gearsmay be made to occupy inactive or neutral position or meshed orconnected with the gears 21 and 22 on the counter shaft, the movementsof the gears 18 and 23, however,

45 levers tothrow them A other of'their active, or meshing positions.`

being lsuch so that before one may be placed in mesh the other must beplaced in neutral position. Both shipping levers are pivoted to a commonshaft, or pivot 32, and both have two operating lugs on opposite sidesof the pivot, the lever 28 having the two lingers 33 and 34 and thelever 31 having the two corresponding lingers 35 and 36, which fingersof the respective levers are in position to be engaged by slidable camswhich by engaging the fingers impart the desired movements tov the'respective levers. yThere are six of these cams in the form of lugswith simple inclined surfaces which are mounted on the periphery of alon itudinally slidable bolt or shaft 37 which 1s supported within atube or sleeve 38 suitably supported at its ends in bearings in the gearframe or casing 39, so that it may be partially rotated or oscillatedupon its longitudinal axis. When the sleeve 38 turns on its axis itcarries with it the lug-carrying bolt, the lugs of which project throughthe sleeve beyond the periphery thereof, as 25 clearly shown in Fig. 4,and the purpose of such ,rotary` movement is to place certain of thecams ata time position to. operate the shi ping levers 28 and 31. Themovement Aeach shipping lever to neutral position isefected in each caseby two cams, `which, for convenience I shall term neutralizing cams,there being such a cam 40 to act upon the nger 33 and a neutralizing cam'.'41 to act upon the finger 34 Vof the shipping lever 28 and aneutralizingcam 42 toh'act upon the lug 35 and a neutralizing cam 43toac'tupon the lug 36 of the shipplng lever 31, the 'corresponding'neutralizing lugs bearran ed m alinement around the bolt, or. shaft 3and in the space between them aretwocams, one 44 to act upon the lingersof the shipping levers 28 and 31 to throw the -gears 18 and 23 fromneutral into one of their active or meshing positions, and a cam 45 toact upon the lingers of said shipping By reference to Fig. 6, it will beseen that th'e'ingers of each shipping lever are offset at right 'anglesto the direction foftheir swinging movement so that but one linger v of.each of the levers at a time may be ened ggingdetermined by theposition 'to whichby cams 44 and 45, the finger engaged the cam maybemoved by rota the Avery-simple and very convenient arrangement forrotating :the shipping .lever actuating :cams is shownv in the drawings,

concentric with the steering' wheel 47 fon e y toa flexible shat'49 thatasses through the steering column and-has ed to it a worm om neutralinto the latch, a sp pressing against a collar 63 having an annuwhichconsists ofa rotary handle 46 mount-- column 48 .which is connectedingly held at one limit of its longitudinal f motlon by means of a coilspring 53 that encircles a 4stem or reduced portion thereof and which issituated within the sleeve 38, its movement under the action of thespring being xed by a stopcollar 54. For movingv the cam-carrying bolt37 in the opposite direction for the purpose of bringing its cams toposition for engagement with the lingers of the ship ing lever and :thusmoving the latter, the oot lever 15 may, as shown in Fig-8, have an armor extension -150 that engages the'end of the bolt or shaft 37 when the-foot lever movementis continued after a 1t has acted by its cam 16 torelease the clutch 19; or, as is a very desirable arrangement, powertaken from the engine may be i' utilized to cause such operatingmovement of the cam-carrying bolt or shaft 37, as is illustrated inFig.1, where electrical means are provided for the purpose which includes amagneto generator 55 driven from the y .wheel of the engine, a solenoid56l in circuit with the generator and whose core 57 is attached to or isa prolongation of the bolt 37 and a switch consisting of a fixed contact58 and a movable contact 59 which is carried by the treadle 15. Ofcourse, instead of electrical means for using the power of the en gineto throw thegears into active or meshmg position, mechanical means mightbe employed.

The cam-carrying bolt 37 is locked in each of its several rotarypositions for which purpose a linger 60 is provided adapted -to Aengageany one of the series of notches 61 1n one end of the sleeve 38 when anotch by'v the of the sleeve alines with the g 62 on the bolt 37aetingby lar groove which contains theiree end of I the latch 60 tothrow the latch into-any one of the alinin'g notches 61'.

The latch is thrown Yand held out of engagement with .26 or 29, as thecase may be, is attached, and

a spring-pressed pawl 65 having a beveled the notches when the bolt 37is moved by the spring 53 into inoperative po'- nose ada ted to engageany one of three V- Q shape no hes 66 in the bars 64.

As the parts are shownin the drawings, i i

the gears 18 and 23 are in neutral position. To briefly describe theoperation of my invention, consider that the gear 23 is in mesh with thegear 22 and it is desired'to place gear 18 in mesh with gear 21.v rlhedriver at any desired time moves the handle 46 to the position marked 2on the index or dial 52 and 'thereby rotates the sleeve 38 to place thecam lug 45 in position to act upon the finger 36 of the shipping lever31 which controls the gear 18. Nothing more than this need be done untilit is desired to shift the gears whereupon the foot lever 15 isdepressed with the result, first that the cam 16 acting onV the lever 14will release the clutch and then on the continued movement of thetreadle the cam-carrying bolt 87 will be moved longitudinally causingfirst the neutralizing cam 41 to act on the nger 34 of the shippinglever 28 to bring the gear 23 to neutral position and the cam 45 actingon the nger 36 of the shipping lever 31 brings the gear 18 into neutralposition. Further movement of the bolt or shaft 37 causes the cam lug 45to still further move the shipping lever 31 and thereby throw the gear18 into mesh with the gear 21. rthe/driver now releasing pressure on thetreadle 15, the spring 53 acts to return the cam-carrying bolt 37 to itsformer position and the spring 13 thrusts the cone of the clutch intoclutching position.

It will be observed that the mechanism embodying my invention makes itunnecessary for the clutch to be released and the gears placed in aneutral position before it is possible to select the desired speedarrangement, and a simple movement in one direction accomplishes boththe neutralizing of the gears and the shifting of the desired gear'intomesh. As a result of this the selection of any desired speed arrangementmay be done at any time in advance of the actual shifting of the gearsand the mechanism is of simple construction. I

Having thus described my invention what I claim is- 1. In a transmissionmechanism, the combination of a driving shaft, a driven shaft, severalsets of gears adapted to connect the two shafts at different times, andmeans to change the gear connections comprising a rotary and axiallymovable cam carrying member, and means to transmit axiai motion thereofto the gears.

2. In a transmission mechanism, the combination of a driving shaft, adriven shaft, several sets of gears adapted to connect thc two shafts atdifferent times, means to change the gear connections comprising arotary and axially movable cam carrying member, and means to transmitmotion thereof to the gears, a clutch for the driving shaft, and asingle operating member to control said clutch and the axial movement ofbination of a driving shaft, a drivenl shaft,

several sets of gears adapted to connect the two shafts at differenttimes, means to change the gear connections comprising a rotary andaxially movable cam-carrying member, and means to transmit axial motionthereof to the gears, a motor, and means transmitting energy from themotor to iinpart such axial movement.

4. In a transmission mechanism, thc combination of a driving shaft, adriven shaft, several sets of gears adapted to connect the two shafts atdierent times, means to change the gear connections comprising a rotaryand axially movable cam carrying member, and means to transmit axial mo-.tion thereof to the gears, a motor, means' transmitting energy from themotor to impart such axial movement, a clutch between the motor and thedriving shaft and a single operating member to control said clutch andthe axial movement of the cam carrying member.

5. In a transmission mechanism, the combination of a driving shaft, adriven shaft several sets of gears to connect the shafts at dierenttimes, and means to change the gear connection comprising a gearshifting device for one gear of each set, a rotary and axially movablemember carrying a plurality of cam surfaces that coact with said gearshifting devices, means to rotate said member to select the cam surfacesto act, and means to move the member axially after such selection.

6. In a transmission mechanism, the combination of a driving shaft, adriven shaft several sets of gears to connect the shafts at differenttimes, and means to change the gear connection comprising a lever forone gear of each set, said lever having two fingers on opposite sides ofits pivot which are offset in the direction of the lever axis, and arotary and axially movable member having a plurality of cam surfacesthat coact with said fingers.

7. In a transmission mechanism, the combination of a driving shaft, aldriven shaft several sets of gears to connect the shafts at differenttimes, and means to change the gear connection comprising a lever forone gear of each set, said lever having two fingers on opposite sides ofits pivot which are offset in the direction of the lever axis, and arotary and axially movable member having a plurality of cam surfacesthat coact with said ngers, a clutch for the driving shaft, a treadlelever, and means to transmit motion from the lever to the clutch torelease lit and to cause the cam carrying member to move axially.

` ,mames 8. 'In a transmission mechanism, the. commeans to trt axialmotionv thereof to 10 bination of a driving shaft, a driven shaft, theygears. I several sets of. gears adapted to connect the n testimony thatI claim the foregoing I two shafts at derent tlmes, and means to havehereunto set my hand.

-, change the gear connections comprising a MYRON s' CURTIS rotary andaxially movable cam carrylng member that in a single axial movement inWitnesses:

one direction places one gear in neutral po- Mrrcm. ADAMS, sition andrenders another gear active, and THOMAS oN.

